


Balcony

by Whosdaboss4



Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Brienne likes herself but is honest about standards of beauty, Cigarette Smoking, Dialogue, F/M, Jaime gives no fucks about those standards-he likes what he likes, Stuck at home due to pandemic, What men want, discussions about beauty, relationship break-up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-19
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:34:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23729881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Whosdaboss4/pseuds/Whosdaboss4
Summary: This was prompted by watching videos of nice, happy neighbors on their balconies during this crazy epidemic.  Singing, dancing and making the best of a bad situation.  Speaking of bad situations; currently, I am trying to parent, teach and work from home all at the same time. I am going stir crazy.   So this little fic is sparse, but it keeps telling me it needs to be written.  Plus, I need a break from the crazy.  Written quickly.  Grammar and punctuation use sketchy at best
Relationships: Hyle Hunt/Brienne of Tarth(relationship ending), Jaime Lannister/Brienne of Tarth
Comments: 28
Kudos: 112





	Balcony

It was stifling inside his flat. A fortnight prior, the governor of the Crownlands issued a shelter in place and maintain social distance order. So for two weeks, Jaime stewed in his flat that faced the Blackwater. He got it for the views, but also for the privacy. Today he regrets not living in a courtyard view apartment. He heard the fun those guys were having out on their balconies. Singing, dancing and just general merriment. 

A couple of days ago, some guy with a booming Flea Bottom accented voice somehow organized a trivia game based on Westerosi history. Jaime knew the answer to almost all of the questions. Either the game host had a Dragonbinder for lungs or the walls to the luxury apartments are paper thin. He planned to find and introduce himself to Booming Voice once things settled or go back to the way they were before the epidemic. 

Not that it matters, but Jaime felt lonely. Even if there wasn’t a shelter in place order, Jaime had nowhere to go and no one to see. Tyrion was stuck in Essos with his Tysha and their brood. Their family vacation had unfortunately turned into an extended quarantine. Tywin was at the Rock - thank all the Gods. Jaime didn’t know and didn’t want to know where Cersei was. But wherever she was, he’d bet she’s giving someone Hell. Probably her husband, Euron. 

Jaime turned off the TV. There’s only so much cable news one can watch without becoming totally pessimistic. He went out onto his balcony and stared at the bay. He lit a cigarette and just sat. 

Suddenly, he heard raised voices from his next door neighbor, Brienne and her cunt boyfriend, Shorty McFuckface. Not that they’ve ever officially met. He caught her name on her mail slot. He’s only seen them passing in the building or when Brienne jogged around the neighborhood. He noticed she had legs, legs, ass and more legs. Jaime called her Legs Lovely before he knew her name. She wasn’t pretty. But she has an honest face. A kind face. And blue eyes that were otherworldly beautiful.

“So what are we doing, Brienne?” McFuckface hissed.

“What...what are we doing? Hyle..” Brienne ground out.

“I want you to make a decision…” McFuckface interrupted. Jaime knew the cunt’s name now, but McFuckface was just so appropriate. 

“...A fucking decision? What decision, Hyle?” Brienne answered . 

“Are we getting married or what?!” McFuckface shouted.

“MARRIED. Are you...are you kidding me? I CAUGHT you with HER…” Brienne shouted back.

Jaime thought, _So, McFuckface cheated on Brienne. But of course, he did._

“...I told you I was sorry. She meant nothing. It was just a mistake… a fuck.. but I make love to you...” McFuckface said. 

Brienne gave a dark chuckle. “Yeah and not so great, huh? I hope you gave her more than the 15 minutes you give me...” 

Jaime guffawed. _Good girl_ , he thought.

There was a tense silence.

“Yeah, well… At least I can stand to look at her fucking face,” McFuckface seethed. 

Jaime sucked in a breath. _Why, that son of a whore…_

“Fuck you…” Brienne's voice trembled.

“Yeah, not so well, huh? But it’s the best YOU’VE ever had. The best YOU’LL ever get... “ , McFuckface taunted cruelly.

“Get the fuck out of my house…” Brienne shout whispered.

There was noise and stomping. 

“With pleasure. I’d rather risk the virus than to spend another day trying to pretend I can stand looking at you…” McFuckface shouted. 

“GET OUT!” Brienne shrieked.

Her door slammed. Jaime released a shuddered breath. He went back into his flat.

**********

The next evening, there was a full-on, courtyard view balcony dance party. From his balcony, Jaime could hear his neighbors shouting in unison, “This is the rhythm of my life, the night, oh yeah…”

Jaime sat on his balcony and watched the lights reflecting off of the Blackwater. He hadn’t wanted to go to a nightclub in years, but what he wouldn’t give to spend a night in one now. He chuckled to himself as a folk song popped into his head. He pulled his cigarette from his lips and sang to himself: “Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got ‘till it’s gone…” 

“I love Joni Mitchell…” a voice from the darkness said. Brienne. 

“Me too. I love that song. It’s my go to when I’m feeling melancholic. Paradise…” Jaime said as he turned toward Brienne’s balcony. She was facing him. Her eyes. They were luminous. Almost hypnotic. He forced himself to turn away. 

“Everyone thinks that the name of the song, but the actual title is Big Yellow Taxi….” Brienne cut in. Jaime liked her clipped, rich voice. 

“No...Joni is a free folk. What would she know about taxi cabs? “ Jaime asked cheekily.

“You do know there are taxis and all sorts of modern public transportation in the Far North,” Brienne teased back. 

There was a heavy silence.

“I’m sorry, Brienne…he was a proper cunt.” 

Brienne sighs. “Yeah, I should have ended it a long time ago...wait, how do you know my name?” she asked. 

“You’ve been my neighbor for 4 moons…” he said.

“But still...you’re the great Jaime Lannister. And I’m only…” she said. 

Jaime smirked into the dark. “Wait… how do you know MY name?”

“Oh please... everyone knows you.” she replied.

“For better or worse…” he said. He then remembered his cigarette. He put it back to his lips and took a drag. “And you are Brienne Tarth. From Tarth island, yeah?”

There was a pause. “Yeah”, she answered. 

Another pause. “Those are dangerous,” she said, changing the subject. 

Jaime turned to her. “What’s dangerous?” he asked.

“Those...those cancer sticks..” she said pointing at his cigarette.

Jaime looked at it. “Oh, these things. I hadn’t smoked in years. This...this situation has me going crazy. So, I smoke… again. My brother is going to kill me…” he rambled. 

“Do they relax you?” she asked. 

“Kind of, it's more just something to do with my hands,” Jaime interrupted. 

“I’d like one,” she asked/demanded.

“No..” he said

“No?” she asked. 

“No...in proper smoker’s culture, the correct question to ask is ‘can I bum a cig’”, Jaime smirked at her. 

She rolled her sparkling eyes and said, “MAY I bum a cig, ser?”

“Yes, my lady,” Jaime said as he rose from his seat. They moved toward each other on their respective balconies. He wrapped his stumped arm around the railing and with his hand, placed two cigarettes and his lighter in Brienne’s long, elegant hand. Jaime’s fingers slid across Brienne’s fingers as they both pulled back. Her skin was warm. Her fingers were calloused in some places, yet soft in others. 

“You know we aren’t supposed to touch according to the order…” Brienne said softly.

Jaime clucked his tongue. “I thought you said you knew me….the great Jaime Lannister. Lawbreaker. Man without honor….” he said. 

Brienne stared at him as he looked back toward the bay. He heard her light the cigarette and take a long drag. She exhaled loudly.

Jaime looked back at her. “I thought you’ve never smoked before…” he said.

“I never said that…” she replied.

“I surmised…”,he interrupted.

She sighed. “Ah yes, everyone surmises about me. One look and they assume….”

“That’s not what I meant. It just seemed like…” Jaime countered.

“Seemed like what? I was in the Army for R’hllor’s sake. Everyone smokes in the Army,” she said. She turned to look out at the bay. 

“That’s where I started smoking too. I had no idea…” Jaime attempted to get a word in.

“...I know. I was in for 10 years. I know you were for a long time. Until the Aerys incident,” she said. She looked back at Jaime. 

The air evaporated out of his lungs. He waited for it. The condemnation.

“What really...happened?” she asked him gently. 

“Wha...what?” Jaime stammered. She really wanted to know. The real story. And suddenly Jaime’s tongue got thick. He felt his eyes start to burn. And he wouldn’t cry in front of this intriguing woman. 

“You don’ t have to tell me,” Brienne said.

“No...no...it’s just. No one as ever really asked why I did what I did? I am a little overwhelmed…” Jaime almost whispered. “I promise to tell you...just not tonight.”

“Okay,” she said. She exhaled loudly. “I’m a distant relation. They’re all crazy people...the Targaryens. Dany was alright, though I haven’t seen her in years. I am sorry for whatever position my cousin put you in.” 

Jaime gasped as he looked at Brienne. Then he saw it. The pale blonde hair, the unique eye color. He nodded at her and said, “Thank you...that means...that means a lot.”

They were silent for a long time. Then Jaime spoke.

“I’m sorry about your ex. He shouldn’t have spoken to you that way…” he said.

“What way? The truth?” she asked bitterly.

Jaime turned to Brienne fully. “What truth?” he asked.

Brienne tilted her head and pursed her lips. “Oh come now, Jaime...look at me.”

“I’m looking…” Jaime said with raised eyebrows.

“I’m ugly…” Brienne said firmly.

“You are not. Don’t say that about yourself…” he interrupted.

“No, just let everyone else say it…” she said.

“Fuck everyone else. Do YOU like you?” he asked.

“Even if I like myself, I have to live in the world. A world where women’s looks are judged. And mine have always been lacking. As fucked up as Hyle is...his opinion is not unique. I know… I’ve my whole life with this face and body…” Jaime noticed Brienne started her second cigarette. She has definitely smoked before. 

“So beautiful women always have it easy?” Jaime asked. 

“Yes…” she responded.

“No, no they don’t. Beauty may get a man…” he said.

“May??? Beauty DOES get men… ALL.THE.TIME.” she countered with a bitter laugh.

“Brienne...let me finish…” he started to speak. 

“No, Mr. Ridiculously Handsome. You couldn’t possibly understand this. One, look at YOU. And two, you are a man. Men are not judged solely by their looks,” she said. 

Jaime grinned at her. “One, you think I’m handsome?”

Brienne cut him off, “Oh for fuck’s sake, you know you are. Don’t play dumb…”

“But that’s one of my points, if you ever let me finish…” he said. She rolled her pretty eyes, put the cigarette between her lush lips and crossed her long, lovely legs. Jaime got a good look at her muscular thigh as she did so. He forgot his point for a second and stared at her thinking, _McFuckface was a fool. But I’ll raise a toast to that fool who let this woman go. And thank the Gods for cutoff jeans..._

Brienne twirls her cigarette between her slim fingers in his direction. “You have the floor, ser. You were telling me all about beauty and men…” she said drolly.

Jaime cleared his throat. “Beauty may get a man, but rarely does beauty solely KEEP a man.”

Brienne looked at him as if he was speaking the ancient language of the First Men. “What does that mean?” she asked.

Jaime stopped and looked out at the water. “My twin sister is one of the most beautiful women in Westeros. She’s stunningly beautiful... until she opens her mouth and speaks. Until you get to know her. Then you see that she’s not really beautiful at all. She’s mean-spirited, vindictive and vicious. As for the men in her life; yes, she’s always gotten attention from them. But love?” Jaime shook his head sadly. “She was madly in love with her high school sweetheart. He ran off and married another girl. Then her first husband, who was also in love with someone else, cheated on her regularly. And her current husband, if she’s still married to him, is just as messy as she is. So no, Brienne, beauty doesn’t guarantee love and happiness. “ he ended. 

Then he turned back to look at Brienne. “Most men are simple creatures. Yes, we are visual. Yes, beauty can capture our attention. But what we really want for the long haul is guilelessness and honesty. We want a woman who we can trust with our hearts, our spirits, our dreams and even our fears and secrets…” he said. 

Brienne didn’t comment on what he said about his sister. She looked at him and scoffed. “Then Hyle obviously wasn’t a man. All he wanted was big tits and a closed mouth...unless said mouth was servicing him.”

“No, he wasn’t a man. He probably was looking for someone that he can show off to build his fragile ego. And that type of man needs a common woman... The average, pretty girl who is as interesting as a mud puddle and smart as a brick. You are uncommon, Brienne.” he said. 

Brienne stared at him. Did she believe his words? He couldn’t tell.

“No, you are extraordinary. Statuesque, strong, elegant, sexy…” Jaime paused. He didn’t know what came over him. But he was going to go with it. Hell, if it was the end of civilization, he was going to go out with a bang. 

He continued, “That little boy had no fucking clue what to do with you. But me, I’m a full grown man. And there’s no men like me. I know what to do with you…” 

Brienne inhaled shakily. “What’s that?” she asked with wide eyes. 

“Invite me over and find out,” Jaime said looking directly into her eyes. 

“But the order…” she said.

“I don’t have a temperature and I haven’t been out since. You?” he asked.

“No…” she answered. 

“I’ll bring my thermometer just to make you feel better.” he said with a smile. 

She stood up and gestured toward her flat with her head. She smiled. 

Jaime winked at her and ran into his flat. He grabbed wine, a new pack of cigarettes, some snacks and condoms. 

Fifteen minutes later, he knocked on Brienne’s door. 

When she opened, he gave her a once over. Then he looked back into her grinning face. Her intoxicating eyes. Her not-so-pretty and honest face. She was perfect to him. 

“Hey,” he said. 

“Hey,” she said. Then she pulled a thermometer from behind her back and quickly scanned him. 

“98.2. Good. Come in,” she said cheekily. Then she turned and walked into her living room. 

Jaime closed the door with his foot and waited for the lock to click. 

“Now, where were we…” he said with a grin.

THE END

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry, no smut. It’s implied, but I am not a good smut writer. And this was a fun to write. Smut writing is NOT fun for me to write.


End file.
